Sigal Eilat-Adar

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center | TASMC · Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine

High salt intake is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some recent prospective studies have challenged the salt-CVD link. We conducted a narrative review based on a systematic search and provided a national policy update. We reviewed 14 observational prospective studies in healthy adults, reporting the association between so...

Both the IGF1 axis and hypovitaminosis D play a role in childhood obesity, either as a cause or a causality. While some studies suggest an interrelation between vitamin D status, IGF1, and obesity, this mechanism remains obscure. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore associations between four genetic polymorphisms in the IGF1 axis in hyp...

Patient-centered health care (PCC) is a framework of clinical care focused on the patient’s individual health care needs. In particular, it emphasizes the development of a partnership between the patient, physician, and healthcare workers to actively involve and empower the patient in their health care decisions. Additionally, PCC goals include ens...

Previous studies have found an inverse association between religiosity and mortality. However, most of these studies were carried out with Christian participants. This longitudinal study aimed to determine whether a composite variable based on self-reported religious education and religious practices is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD)...

Context: With aging, cognition declines, leading to functional limitations and a loss of independence. Yoga is a particular kind of physical activity that can have a positive influence on cognition in older adults, because it aims to improve physical skills and to enhance the ability to focus and to neutralize external mental stimulation. Objecti...

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have diverse functions in skeletal muscles by acting through multiple signaling pathways, including growth regulation and differentiation, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation. IGFs have anti-inflammatory effects and also play roles in nociceptive pathways, determining pain sensitivity, in addition to their protec...

Governments worldwide have imposed harsh restrictions for decreasing the Covid-19 pandemic and maintaining public health. Yet such limitations have impacted people’s physical activity. This study examined relationships between changes in physical activity and resilience, emotions, and depression during two lockdowns in Israel. An online survey was...

Objectives: This study aimed at exploring the relationships between physical activity, weight control, and psycho-social aspects of the COVID-19 lockdown, which have characterized the Israeli population's behavior during the COVID-19 global crisis. Design: Cross-sectional survey research. Methods: Participants included 1855 men and women aged...

Aim To examine the effect of a once-a-week group physiotherapy session in addition to a once-a-month individual physiotherapy treatment, in comparison to a monthly individual physiotherapy treatment. Methods Fifty children and adolescents aged 10-18 years with poor back posture, some of whom had LBP, met individually with a physiotherapist once a...

Modern life and the Western industrial diet has enhanced the reduction of magnesium in our food, which may contribute to a marginal or absolute magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency is evident in, among others, the elderly population, those after myocardial infarction and/or chronic heart failure, and diabetics. In Israel, over 60% of the drin...

Measuring resting metabolic rate (RMR) is time-consuming and expensive, and thus various equations for estimating RMR have been developed. This study’s objective was to compare five equations in elderly people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). RMR was measured in 90 older adults (≥65 years) with T2DM (mean body mass index (BMI) of 31.5 kg/m2), using ind...

Background: The main purpose of the research was to examine the differences between adults in the age group 70+ and two other age groups (45-59 and 60-69), concerning their healthy and active lifestyle. The death toll of the current COVID-19 pandemic is strongly biased toward the elderly. However, some studies of crises suggest that older adults t...

Background Although over one hundred equations have been developed to predict the energy expenditure of individuals, none are sensitive to weight change in assessment of resting metabolic rate (RMR) before and after weight loss. Objective To formulate adjusted equations for overweight and obese individuals and to compare their accuracy with existi...

Background: Vitamin D is essential for skeletal health. Because peak bone mass accrual occurs during childhood and adolescence, vitamin D insufficiency during this period of life could cause adverse health outcomes. Objectives: To explore the potential sex differences in anthropometric indicators and vitamin D status among primary school-age chi...

Background Depression is highly prevalent in cardiac surgical patients and is associated with mortality. The objectives of the study were: to evaluate depression scores longitudinally pre- and post-operatively and to examine the association between post-operative depression scores and clinical, surgical, and socio-psychological factors. Methods De...

Objective To determine whether self-reported religiosity is associated with decreased coronary mortality risk in middle-aged men when rates are adjusted for known confounders. Design The Israeli Ischemic Heart Disease (IIHD) Project (n=10,232) was chosen by stratified sampling of civil servants and municipal male employees, men aged 40–65 in 1963....

Female athletes display a high prevalence of hypothalamic amenorrhea as a result of energy imbalance. In these amenorrheic athletes, the decreased luteinizing hormone / follicular stimulating hormone secretion leads to deficiency in endogenous estrogen. The severe estrogen deficiency in these athletes may increase cardiovascular risk similar to tha...

The civil war in 1983 and the 2004 tsunami in the island country of Sri Lanka both created a large number of health problems, particularly in coastal areas of the country. According to the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) for Sri Lanka, in the period 2006-2007 17.3% of children under five were found to be stunted, 14.7% were suffering from malnutrit...

Background: Children’s overweight and obesity have increased in Western societies, including Israel. Childhood is an important time for shaping healthy habits. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention on health knowledge, behavior, and anthropometric measurements. Methods: A total of 3...

Telomere length, a marker of biological aging, has been associated with many chronic diseases, but its relations with physical activity remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of objectively measured ambulatory activity with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biological aging, among American Indians. This...

Background: Food aversion and nutritional difficulties are common in children with autism spectrum disorder. Aim: To compare meal time behavior of children with autism to their typically developing siblings and to typical controls and to examine if sensory profiles can predict meal time behavior or nutritional deficiencies in the autism group.

Background: Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences (TTAGGG) and their associated proteins at the end of eukaryote chromosomes. Telomere length shortens throughout the lifespan with each cell division, and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is often used as a biomarker of cellular aging. LTL is related to many chronic diseases, including cardio...

Introduction: Telomeres are repeated DNA sequences and their associated proteins at the ends chromosomes. A slow and gradual loss of telomere length with increasing age in humans has been reported. Substantial variability observed in the rate of telomere shortening independent of age has been attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors . Hypo...

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk of developing nutritional deviations. Three to six year old children with ASD were compared to their typically developing siblings and to a typically developing age and gender matched control group, in order to evaluate their intake and body mass index. Nutrient intake was compared to the Die...

Population-based studies about factors associated with blood pressure (BP) levels and hypertension awareness and control are lacking in Israel. We aimed to identify covariables of BP level (across the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7) categories) and hyp...

Lifestyle factors, including nutrition, play an important role in the etiology of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). This position paper, written by collaboration between the Israel Heart Association and the Israel Dietetic Association, summarizes the current, preferably latest, literature on the association of nutrition and CVD with emphasis on the lev...

Background and aims: Rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are disproportionately high in American Indians (AI), and changes in lifestyle may be responsible. It is not known whether diverse dietary patterns exist in this population and whether the patterns are associated with CVD risk factors. This article describes the relationships between dieta...

Background: Several studies have evaluated associations among various dietary nutrients (eg n-3 fatty acids, caffeine, magnesium) and depression in different populations. Such analyses, however, may not adequately address possible interactions among nutrients and may overlook unmeasured micronutrients. We examined the relationships among four diet...

Fifty percent of American Indians (AIs) develop diabetes by age 55 y. Whether processed meat is associated with the risk of diabetes in AIs, a rural population with a high intake of processed meat (eg, canned meats in general, referred to as "spam") and a high rate of diabetes, is unknown. We examined the associations of usual intake of processed m...

To study the age at presentation and factors associated with adult-onset diabetes (≥ 20 years) among Arabs and Jews in Israel. Participants (n = 1100) were randomly selected from the urban population of the Hadera District in Israel. The study sample was stratified into equal groups according to sex, ethnicity (Arabs and Jews) and age. Information...

To examine sex-specific associations of nutritional factors with prevalent hypertension (HTN) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in Alaska Natives. Diet is known to affect SBP, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cross-sectional analysis of participants without diabetes in the Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives study....

The recent rapid increase in childhood obesity rates suggests that a consideration of the role of the schools in addressing this problem is necessary. 'Fits me' program functions to promote eating daily and healthy breakfast among elementary school children. Separate children groups were sampled each year by clusters from seven regions around Israe...

Some food groups and supplements have been recommended for preventing coronary heart disease (CHD) in women. In this article, evidence on recommendations for some of these food groups (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and soy) and supplements (phytosterols, antioxidants, folic acid, and B-complex vitamins) is reviewed. Additionally, ge...

Despite the tradition of a diet high in fish oils and abundant physical activity, coronary artery disease is increasing among Alaska Eskimos. Explanations for this observation include lifestyle changes. In this cross-sectional analysis, we evaluated dietary patterns of Alaska Eskimos and investigated the relations between these dietary patterns and...

Fatty Acids in Health Promotion and Disease Causation focuses on heart disease and the role that fatty acids can play in its prevention and causation. It provides information on special populations, Native Americans, stroke, and cardiac injury as examples of areas where fatty acids play a key role. The book also discusses body composition, diabetic...

The objective of this article was to evaluate how well American Indians with diabetes met dietary recommendations and to compare adherence to dietary recommendations with those of U.S. adults with diabetes in the NHANES. Dietary intake in both studies was assessed using a 24-h recall questionnaire. Dietary intakes were evaluated against American Di...

Diet has been related to several characteristics of metabolic syndrome (MSDR) and insulin resistance, which carry an increased risk for diabetes and heart disease. To examine the cross-sectional association between macronutrient intake, sex, and MSDR and insulin resistance in American Indians without diabetes. Dietary intake, MSDR, and insulin resi...

American Indians have a high prevalence of obesity. Evidence supports a relationship between increased dietary calcium intake and lower body weight. This study was conducted to investigate the association between dietary calcium intake, BMI, and percentage of body fat (PBF) in American Indians (ages 47-79 y) in the Strong Heart Study (SHS) (2nd exa...

Little research has explored the association of macronutrient intake and glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) in adults with diabetes. The objective of the study was to examine the cross-sectional association between macronutrient intake and HbA(1c) in diabetic American Indians. A total of 1284 participants aged 47-80 y who had diabetes for >or=1 y at the...

Arabs in Israel have high morbidity and mortality from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a risk factor for both conditions. To investigate the prevalence of obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m2), subjects' knowledge and behaviors, and their reports on practices of health-care professionals regarding body weight among Arabs and Jews. The...

The results of previous studies on the association between dietary fat intake and coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the association between dietary fat intake and CHD incidence in American Indians in the Strong Heart Study. A total of 2938 participants aged 47-79 y and free of CHD at the s...

Although weight reduction has been recommended to reduce cardiovascular risk, studies on the association between weight loss and coronary morbidity and mortality show conflicting results. This review summarizes findings from large studies examining this issue and accentuates the importance of carrying out additional well-designed research. Many obs...

Despite evidence that weight loss improves the severity of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors, a direct association between weight loss and CHD incidence has not been demonstrated. In 1994-2001, the authors conducted an observational study of intentional weight loss as related to CHD incidence among patients recruited from a network of clini...

Evidence from epidemiological and randomized controlled trials shows beneficial effects of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids from fish and plant sources on cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially in patients with preexisting CVD. The optimal dose of n-3 is not yet determined, but prospective secondary prevention studies suggest that the addition of 0.5-1....

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been considered to exhibit therapeutic features for many years. The effects of garlic on levels of serum lipids and on atherosclerosis have been investigated extensively. We have previously demonstrated that allicin, an active component of garlic, exerts a beneficial effect on lipid profile in hyperlipidemic rabbits. To...

The effect of garlic on the serum lipid profile has been the subject of controversy. This study was therefore designed to examine the effects of allicin, an active constituent of garlic, on the lipid profile in a rabbit model. Allicin was produced by reacting alliin, synthesized in our laboratory, with purified alliinase. Nineteen New Zealand White...

The effect of garlic on the serum lipid profile has been the subject of controversy. This study was therefore designed to examine the effects of allicin, an active constituent of garlic, on the lipid profile in a rabbit model. METHODS: Allicin was produced by reacting alliin, synthesized in our laboratory, with purified alliinase. Nineteen New Zea...